Brazen thieves have been captured on CCTV using a hammer in an attempt to break into a cash machine - before yanking the ATM out the ground.
The audacious theft took place as a young woman nonchalantly strolled past on her mobile phone and traffic, including a single-decker bus, continued without interruption.
Police are now on the hunt for four men in relation to the raid after discovering an abandoned vehicle.
How the heist unfolded
In the CCTV footage, a blue car can be seen reversing onto the pavement and edging close to the machine outside a Londis on Kingston Road, Teddington, London. One man, dressed in a black top and jeans with a beanie, attached bands to the machine from the boot of the car at around 12.50am on July 29.
He seemed to grow frustrated as he used the hammer to try to shatter the back of the machine.
Eventually, the car pulled away, dragging the cover of the machine down the road behind it - before turning to secure the bands to the boot. The motor then sped off, ripping the entire cash machine from its base on the pavement and sending it flying into the air.
One of the men could be seen, still clutching a hammer, standing over the debris-laden spot where the machine had stood just moments before.
Local reaction and police appeal
A local resident commented: "I couldn't really understand what had happened because I saw the machine lying on its side on the pavement on Tuesday morning and I assumed someone had crashed into it not tried to take it away."
A spokesperson for the Met Police stated: "Police are investigating the theft of a cash machine from th. The incident occurred outside a shop on Kingston Road, Teddington at 00:53hrs on Wednesday, 29 July."
No arrests have been made, but an abandoned vehicle has been seized in connection with the incident, and officers continue to work at pace to identify the four men believed to be involved.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting 302/29JUL. Anonymous reports can be shared via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 using the same reference number."
